President Donald Trump called his recent phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “very productive,” claiming it as a positive step toward ending the war in Ukraine. Trump also announced he will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office tomorrow.
During the conversation, the two leaders agreed to hold a meeting next week with senior advisers, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ahead of Trump and Putin’s planned meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared that Putin congratulated him and the United States on the “Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East,” calling it a historic achievement “dreamed of for centuries.”
Trump expressed optimism that this success in the Middle East could help advance negotiations to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Additionally, Trump said Putin thanked First Lady Melania Trump for her “involvement with children” and expressed appreciation for her efforts.
Earlier today, Trump confirmed he was on a call with Putin and promised to provide updates afterward. This conversation comes just ahead of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Zelenskyy on Friday, where missile support is expected to be a key topic.
In a post on Truth Social on October 16, Trump confirmed that his conversation with Putin is underway and described it as “a lengthy one”, promising to share details of the call afterwards.
“I am speaking to President Putin now. The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Zelenskyy has been urging Trump to approve the sale of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, which would enable Ukrainian forces to strike into Russian territory. Zelenskyy believes such an escalation could pressure Putin into taking Trump’s calls for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine more seriously.
While en route to Israel on Sunday, Trump told reporters he planned to bring up the issue of Tomahawks with Putin as a way to encourage Russia to end the war in Ukraine. “Do they want to have Tomahawks going in that direction? I don’t think so,” Trump said. “I think I might speak to Russia about that.”
The talks follow Trump’s recent trip to West Asia, where he helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas and facilitated the release of the remaining Israeli hostages from Gaza.
Trump has expressed confidence that he can make progress in ending the Russian invasion. He has also indicated that he is prepared to intensify pressure on Putin if talks do not commence soon.
“Interestingly we made progress today, because of what’s happened in the Middle East,” Trump said on Wednesday, addressing supporters at a lavish dinner for his White House ballroom project.
Earlier this week in Jerusalem, he spoke to the Knesset, predicting that the Gaza truce would open the door for the U.S. to help Israel and other Middle Eastern nations normalise relations. However, Trump has claimed that his primary foreign policy goal is to resolve the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“First we have to get Russia done,” Trump said, speaking to his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who had been his administration’s lead contact with Putin. “We gotta get that one done. If you don’t mind, Steve, let’s focus on Russia first. All right?”
Trump is set to host Zelenskyy for their fourth face-to-face meeting of the year on Friday. Ahead of this, Trump has reiterated that he is considering the sale of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. This will be a major escalation, as Putin has already warned that such a step would cross a red line and further sour relations between Moscow and Washington. “He’d like to have Tomahawks,” Trump said of Zelenskyy on Tuesday. “We have a lot of Tomahawks.”